Teaching Philosophy: I engage each poem on its own terms, taking it as far (and deep) as possible, while respecting limits and personal aesthetics. Some of my methods include: tailoring readings based on what I see as a student's affinities to, and differences from, contemporary poems, as well as on what I think the poet's work lacks. I ask students to challenge their own style with new models and to examine their assumptions about what a poem is. I focus on the small elements of craft (line, syntax and line break, image and metaphor, sound and diction) as a way to inform the large - inspiration, author intention and reader response, innovation and communication. I also assign exercises that focus on a particular element of craft and demonstrate how to radically re-envision a poem as an editor. Many of my students have published books, chapbooks, in journals, and have won awards.